With their 1-0 win over Everton on Matchday 38, Tottenham Hotspur completed a great escape of their own in the Premier League, because the Lilywhites, despite all their financial power and the size of their fan base and club, looked doomed for the drop not but weeks ago before Roberto De Zerbi arrived and righted the ship.
De Zerbi could not solve every problem, especially the attacking woes, but he boosted the defense and got the most out of the veterans of the midfield like Joao Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Conor Gallagher. Tottenham exerted more control over matches, played great defense, and, most importantly, managed to believe in themselves and get results.
RDZ is getting a lot of deserved credit for his part in saving Spurs from relegation, but there were some players actually on the pitch who deserve more praise from the mainstream Premier League punditry.
Tottenham's unsung heroes of the relegation battle
Most people, for example, know that Antonin Kinsky has been good for Spurs with Guglielmo Vicario out, but few are recognizing just how amazing Kinsky was. He is more than just a redemption story from his slips and falls against Atletico Madrid. The Tottenham goalkeeper has been a massive upgrade on Vicario and has played as well as any goalkeeper in the Premier League these last few weeks, perhaps standing out as even Spurs best player overall in this relegation fight.
Kinsky made jaw-dropping saves in the clutch, particularly against Everton and Leeds United, and he never made any mistakes on the ball or positionally. His command of the box, leadership, and distribution were light years from what we had seen from him before or from most keepers his age, and he needs more credit for his excellence, beyond just being a fun story.
But even more underrated is the center back Kevin Danso. The big Austrian was legitimately one of Ligue 1's best players for title sleepers Lens, shining with his composure and accuracy on the ball and rugged defending, putting his body on the line for the French side.
Well, he has 100 percent done the same for Tottenham Hotspur this season, particularly down the stretch of the Premier League relegation battle. In fact, after Cristian Romero's injury, Tottenham were even better defensively, with Danso's solid style and composed demeanor meshing even better with Micky van de Ven. Danso was bloodied and battered in the big games like Everton because of his willingness to do whatever it takes to win, and while he is a household name to the diehard Spurs fans, it feels like nobody else in the Premier League knows how much of an all around great player and guy he is.
Add us as a preferred source on Google